New Feature: Users may CC 3rd Parties on New Tickets

All Mojo Helpdesk users can now copy someone when creating a new ticket. Previously, the CC field was only available on follow up messages. 

Also, we added the view of the cc'd users on the actual ticket, so the agent can see who was cc'd when the ticket was created. This way, an agent can include those recipients on any future correspondence.

Have a Merry Christmas.

The Mojo Helpdesk team 

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Happy Holidays from Mojo Helpdesk!

Winter Wonderland - Photo Credit Sister 72

From all of us here at Mojo Helpdesk, 

We'd like to wish you and your family Happy Holidays!

Sincerely, 

Daniel, Jill, Ryan, Jason and Mirko

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New Feature: Include Due Dates in Helpdesk Emails

Mojo Helpdesk has two updates to announce:

#1 Email templates can now be configured to automatically include the Start Date and Due Date for a ticket using our new due date variable {{ticket.due_on}} and scheduled date variable {{ticket.scheduled_on}}.

#2 Staff member messages and email comments will be visible to the ticket submitter on all tickets. The previous default setting made staff member messages from email private on all unassigned tickets.  Private comments can still be added anytime (as shown in the screenshot below).

If you have any questions about these updates, please send an email to mojohelpdesk@support.metadot.com.

Thanks,
The Mojo Helpdesk Team

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Get Notifications for New Tickets: Introducing the Mojo Helpdesk Desktop Notifier, a Google Chrome Browser Extension

We're excited to announce the release of Mojo Helpdesk Desktop Notifier, a Chrome extension available in the Chrome Webstore. Desktop Notifier makes ticket tracking more convenient by giving helpdesk staff a quick view of the number of tickets in their helpdesk and displaying incoming messages on the desktop. 

A browser action button is added to the user's Chrome explorer bar and features a badge counter for unassigned tickets and a click-activated pop-up display that includes up-to-date counts of open tickets, unassigned tickets, and tickets assigned to the user. 

In addition, subtle desktop notifications appear when there are new tickets and new messages. 

To download the new Chrome extension:

#1 Make sure you have an active Mojo Helpdesk account. If you need an account, you can start a free trial by clicking the Sign Up For Free button in the top right hand corner of the blog.

#2 Follow this link to our extension listing in the Chrome Webstore and click the Add to Chrome button. {Alternatively you can search for Mojo Helpdesk in the Chrome Webstore and then click Extensions and then Add to Chrome.} 

#3 Once Mojo Helpdesk Desktop Notifier is installed, it will automatically begin working as long as you are logged into your helpdesk. If you are not logged in you can do so directly from the extension pop-up by clicking the Mojo star icon on the right hand side of the address bar. 

#4 When the Mojo Helpdesk Desktop Notifier is working you'll see a red badge counter on the Mojo Helpdesk star icon that represents the number of unassigned tickets in your helpdesk. You can click on the star icon to see a drop down display that includes up-to-date counts of open tickets, unassigned tickets, and tickets assigned to you, as shown in the screen shot below.  

#5. You are able to manage the settings for the desktop notifications by right clicking the Mojo Helpdesk star icon and selecting Options.  De-selecting "Auto-close notifications" will leave the notifications on your desktop until you decide to close them. By default, they auto-close after a few minutes. The "Play sound?" option will play a sound when a notification is first displayed on your desktop. 

#6. You are able to change the location of the notifier on your screen by clicking the light grey wrench icon in the top right corner of the notification and selecting 'Choose Position'. 

This blog post should cover most of the details, but if you have any questions about the new Desktop Notifier, please email us at mojohelpdesk@support.metadot.com.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

- The Mojo Helpdesk Team

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Introducing the Mojo Helpdesk Launch Pad

With Mojo Helpdesk's new Chrome launcher, go directly from your Chrome home page to Mojo Helpdesk in just one click. It's simple to install, go to the Chrome Web Store, find Mojo Helpdesk and click 'Launch Application'. You will need to set your helpdesk domain once and you will be automatically directed to your Mojo Helpdesk account every time. 

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New Feature: Queue Access Rights for Agents

Mojo Helpdesk customers have expressed the need to have agents access tickets in certain queues only. We are happy to announce that this is now possible using a new user role called Restricted Technician.

For Enterprise and Enterprise Plus accounts, this role can be selected when creating or editing an agent record. Restricted Technicians are only allowed to access tickets in their specified queues. They don’t have access to anything else.

This new agent role is perfect for organizations that need to set up multiple departments under one helpdesk, to assign tickets to outside vendors, or to keep some requests strictly confidential.

For more information on how to set up agents with restrictions, please visit our help page.

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New Feature: CC'ing from Mojo Helpdesk

We are happy to announce we recently upgraded Mojo Helpdesk's functionality. We wanted Mojo messaging to behave more like email, so when agents add a message or private message they are able to CC co-workers, supervisors or any others who need to stay in the loop. This means messages can be transferred to outside sources without having to register those users as staff in the helpdesk. Mojo will keep track of all communication on the ticket. 

Mojo Helpdesk handles responses on the ticket intuitively by marking outside messages as 'private' by default (that is, any message sent from someone other than the assignee or submitter). Alternatively, when the ticket submitter needs to be in on the communication, text can simply be copied to a non-private message by the agent.

Mojo Helpdesk is enthusiastic about our new communication feature. We hope you enjoy it, and look forward to our customer feedback.

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How the Generation Gap Affects Customer Service

All customers, young and old, have different ideas of what customer service means to them. These varying expectations require customer service departments to accommodate all types of customers, as well as support the different ways those customers communicate.

Researchers and social commentators divide age groups into a few particular categories, defined by certain experiences and traits.

• Teens

• Millennials/Generation Y: 20’s and 30’s

• Generation X: 30’s and 40’s

• Baby Boomers: 50’s and 60’s

• Retirees: Late 60’s and up

Generation X, Millennials and Teens are most comfortable with computers, so they tend to prefer online channels when they communicate with customer service departments. Since Millennials and Teens use social media sites, they expect to use these accounts to communicate directly with customer service reps.

Baby Boomers and Retirees tend to stick to more traditional and personal means of communication. Though some in this group may consider themselves just as computer-savvy as younger generations, research shows they usually prefer to make a phone call or even go directly to the business to talk face-to-face if they need help. 

Recent research also demonstrates a generational gap when it comes to customer loyalty. With age comes a greater sense of product and company loyalty uncommon in younger groups who are more inclined to go after the best deal or follow a trend.

Keep in mind, these descriptions are flexible and many exceptions to these common behaviors exist. However, in order to provide service tailored to each and every generation, all possible lines of communication should be used.

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Emphasize Internal Support to Improve Efficiency

An internal argument amongst co-workers or departments may not lead to a lost sale or bad review, but it will eventually lead to a negative work environment, compromising the quality of work and productivity of the employees. Unfortunately, unhappy employees cause lost sales and even bad reviews, so how can an organization deliver spectacular internal support and keep the workflow, well, flowing? 

The same features that make Mojo Helpdesk an invaluable customer service tool are also useful in enabling employees to effectively communicate internally. Employees can raise tickets for work items or future tasks and assign them to the appropriate staff member or department to resolve.  Correspondence between employees or departments is tracked in a discussion-like thread on the ticket and email notifications update staff in real-time. With Mojo, it’s easy for any employee to view the progress of tickets and take over if necessary. When internal support requests follow the same guidelines as delivering excellent customer support, internal requests are given the extra effort and priority they deserve.

Businesses that use an open-communications/tracking tool will see improvements at every level. When employees communicate efficiently, they will make sure no task falls through the cracks, and work ethics are likely to improve. Your business will be more successful with a little extra effort towards the improvement of internal operations, leading to improved customer relationships as well as employee relationships. 

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Re-Tweet and Win a Chromebook from Mojo Helpdesk

We are having a contest to raise awareness of Mojo Helpdesk. Customers love how Mojo improves their productivity and internal task management. If you haven’t tried it yet, sign up for a 30-day free trial.

To enter:

• Follow @mojohelpdesk
• Tweet:  “I want to win a Chromebook. To enter, follow @mojohelpdesk, the helpdesk app, & RT this msg: http://bit.ly/M9dH9E”

Contest starts Tuesday, June 5th and ends promptly at Midnight (CST) on Friday, June 8th.

We'll post the winner Monday, June 11th on Twitter.

Recipients must live in the US.

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How to Make the Best out of Inevitable Hold Times

The only time a customer should be put on hold is when it’s the last resort. This could be when there are more calls coming in than there are people to answer each one, or if additional help is needed to resolve an issue. The challenge is how to keep customers on the line when they are inevitably placed on hold.

Adding music and messages is a great way to make the most of a customers wait time. Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing the right audio for your company’s hold time.

Advantages:

• Music can have a relaxing effect on the customer.
• When customers are actively listening to something on their end, their perception of time seems shorter.
• Businesses can use on hold messages to share promotions or information about the company—possibly inspiring future sales.

Keep in Mind:

• Target audience. Choose music you feel a majority of your customers will enjoy.
• Ad length. Keep ads long enough to include important info, but short enough to keep customers listening.
• Loops. Be weary of excessive repetition, which can end up sounding like a broken record. You don’t want to annoy your customers.
• Cost. Some music is more expensive to purchase than others (some is even free). Though recording audio ads may be expensive, the ads will ideally pay for themselves in future sales.

A survey conducted by USA Business Telephone Today found that when on hold, people tend to respond better to music than to silence, and even better to music accompanied by informational messages. 52% of those in the survey hung up after more than one silent minute on hold, as compared to only 13% who had music to listen to, and only 2% that heard music and messages. Notably, the survey also found that the music and messages had a considerable effect on the caller’s perception of the amount of time spent on hold.  All of those faced with silence were convinced that their hold time was longer than it actually was, when less than a fifth of the callers who heard music and messages thought so.

Beyond some initial concerns a business may have about utilizing hold music and messaging, it seems clear that any company would do well to invest in using on hold music and messaging. In addition to better call retention rates, the messages heard on hold may lead to new or increased sales. Be as attentive as possible when on the phone with a customer, and when a hold is necessary, strive to make wait time a positive experience. Listen to customer feedback regarding your hold music and messaging, and take these suggestions to heart. As always, pay attention to what the customer wants above all and work to provide it.            

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How to Transform Your Customer Service Problems Into Solutions

In Spring of 2008, a musician was shocked when he saw United Airlines’ baggage handlers carelessly throw his guitar around on the tarmac, destroying it completely. After several months and many unsuccessful attempts to convince United to pay for the guitar, Dave Carrol took matters into his own hands and wrote a song about his experience, “United Breaks Guitars.” Much to United Airlines dismay, the song was catchy and discussed an experience familiar enough to other fliers that the music video went viral.

United Airlines let bad customer service become a public relations disaster. To help businesses avoid this fate, we’ve put together a list of customer service trends that consumers despise and tips on how to avoid them.

Problem: Phone call menus and unnecessary hold times that cause a simple phone call to take up a large portion of a customer’s day.

Solution: Make sure every phone call gets directly to a representative and hold times (when required at all) are kept short. Mojo Helpdesk can help your employees organize all this information in one place.

Problem: Transferring customers from one department to another, rather than working to resolve the problem right away.

Solution: Make sure all customer service representatives are trainedwell enough in the company’s products to help with all basic issues. Utilize a helpdesk, such as Mojo Helpdesk, to assign customer service requests quickly and easily to the appropriate party from the start.

Problem: Refusing to acknowledge an error, or trying to shift the blame onto the customer.

Solution: Be willing to apologize when there’s a mistake. Focus on trying to solve the problem, and ensure that the customer is feeling heard and satisfied – especially when there is an honest mistake.

Problem: Customer is denied a refund request.

Solution: In cases like Dave Carrol’s where the company is responsible for the damages (and monetary reimbursement isn’t an option), consider offering customers other services, goods or credit to turn their bad experience into a good one.

Problem: Responding to a complaint slowly or not at all.

Solution: Set the goal that all customer service inquiries should receive a response within 24 hours.

Impersonal and frustrating customer service can drive customers to a level of anger that could inspire an angry tweet, a bad online review, a blog post rant, or even a viral video. Good customer service has always been important, but only recently has bad customer service become such a public liability.

All businesses should strive to provide exceptional customer service, but at the very least, no business should fall prey to failures and catastrophes that can be easily avoided. Treat customers with respect and keep customer service interactions personal. Mistakes happen, but businesses should fix and recognize them before the customer feels driven to public condemnation. A business can save time and effort in damage control by never allowing a customer service problem to reach a critical point to begin with.

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Mojo Helpdesk Has a New Look

We are proud to announce the release of our new streamlined Mojo Helpdesk website and logo. Our updated branding reflects our intuitive, efficient and user-friendly design. We have consolidated our pricing plans by removing our Free and Basic plans, and have packed more features into our Enterprise plans. Now customers can choose monthly invoicing as well as secure their subscription with a Purchase Order. Along with our new site, we have updated the Mojo Helpdesk UI by improving accessibility to account information in the Owner/Admin menu. The new Account Information section allows users to easily update their billing information, view or change plans, and view their billing statement. It also provides an easier way for customers to subscribe to a plan when their free trial period ends. 

There are other ways to stay in-touch and informed about Mojo Helpdesk news. Check out our Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

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Get More Out of Your Helpdesk with Live Chat

Between e-mail, phone, texting, social media, live chat, video conferencing and in person meetings, the methods we use to communicate with one another just keep growing. There are many benefits to the modern age of technology, including new ways to approach business and maintain relationships. With so many options available, where’s the best place to start?

Mojo Helpdeskis a versatile tool for communicating with customers and keeping all correspondence efficient and organized. In addition to full e-mail integration and text options, Mojo Helpdesk can also be integrated with live chat services. Live chat software, HelpOnClick, has put together a step-by-step guide to Mojo Helpdesk with integrating the service. By bringing the live chat functionality into the Helpdesk space, companies are able to offer customers more options for communication, while still keeping communication and chat records in one centralized location.

A live chat option for customer support offers the benefit of instant help when they experience a problem. For many customers, the assurance that the company will be there for them whenever needed provides an added level of confidence when making purchasing decisions. For the customer support staff, it offers the extra benefit of ensuring that the correspondence can be logged and referred to at a later date, if needed. A win-win for both sides involved.

Live chat is also a more flexible method of communication, as it allows support team members to perform basic research in the midst of the conversation without skipping a beat. It’s also easy to double check information for accuracy or look up past responses to similar questions before sending a response without slowing down the process. This benefit works both ways, as many customers find it more convenient to use live chat to discuss an issue while at work than making a potentially lengthy phone call.

Utilizing live chat support has several other added benefits as well. International customer language barriers are no longer an issue. Customers are able to type and read at their own pace, making this type of communication much easier than talking on the phone. For younger customers who have grown up with the Internet as a regular part of daily life, online chat is a normal, quick and expected option for communication.

Live chat integration is only one of the many customization possibilities available to Mojo Helpdesk users. With the flexibility offered through an open API, Mojo Helpdeskusers can incorporate as many new ideas and features into their Helpdesks as their creativity and programming abilities allow. We’ve included the functionality needed to provide consistent, quality customer support, while leaving businesses the room to innovate and take their customer service offerings to the next level.

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10 Ways to Build Customer Trust

The main factor that distinguishes a company that customers feel loyalty towards and those they just do business with is trust. The first step to gaining that trust is to consistently provide quality goods and services, but the factor that really seals it for most customers is the quality of the customer service. If customers feel confident that their questions and issues will be resolved quickly and satisfactorily by someone competent, it goes a long way towards encouraging repeat business. For any company looking to build customer trust, these 10 suggestions are good guidelines to follow.

1. Be Easy to Reach. Every customer should know how to get in touch with customer service. Don’t bury phone numbers and email addresses on a hard to find page on the website. Make sure all inquiries get directly to a human being, as it can be very frustrating to receive an automated response when facing a problem.
2. Keep it Personal. Each customer should be assigned to one representative. Contacting a company about a problem can be more daunting than contacting the individual who was helpful and knowledgeable last time that the customer now feels comfortable with. Mojo Helpdesk makes it easy to make sure customers are consistently assigned to the same representative.
3. Be Honest.  If there’s a problem, address it. Don’t try to dodge it or cover it up. When unsure of what’s causing the problem or how to fix it, it’s better to be honest and show a willingness to learn more than to risk offering inaccurate information.
4. Be Human. It’s easier to trust a human being than an entity.  Make sure customers know the name of the representative they work with and avoid keeping the language used overly formal and stiff.
5. Stay in Touch. Keep customers in the loop with emails about company and product updates and specials. Strive to keep the company top of mind though be careful not to overload inboxes.
6. Don’t be Afraid to Apologize. Dodging blame when the company or representative is at fault is a surefire way to lose trust. People appreciate when someone can admit an error.
7. Be Quick to Make Amends. Respond to any bad customer experience or company mistake with something to make up for it. Make returns easy and offer a future discount, a free item or something comparable that will show customers that concern for their satisfaction isn’t just talk.
8. Be informed. No one’s prepared for every possible issue, but customer service representatives should be trained well enough in the company’s products and services to ensure their responses are always well informed.
9. Be proactive. If there’s a problem with a product or a mistake that’s been made, contact customers before they have the chance to learn about it themselves the hard way.
10. Maintain positivity. Throughout every customer service correspondence, be reassuring and optimistic that a resolution will be realized.

By simply treating customers with respect and honesty, a company can rise above many competitors. By incorporating the rest of these tips, a company will benefit from a reputation of good customer service to the level of customer trust that inspires long-term loyalty. Between repeat business and word of mouth, loyal customers are the best resource a business can hope for.

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5 Tips for Providing Great Customer Service Via Email

Email has become the most ubiquitous and basic of business tools. Likely to be the first thing someone checks when starting the workday, email is now the primary method for business communication. As such, it’s imperative that a business think through the role email plays in customer service.

There are many benefits to employing email as a customer service tool, but certain risks and weaknesses as well. Most people have experienced the embarrassment of a thoughtless typo or an email whose tone was misconstrued by the recipient. Create a set of rules for email conduct that all customer service representatives are expected to follow to avoid some of the most basic email errors. Include guidelines that may seem like common sense, such as never using profanity, along with less obvious suggestions like avoiding jokes, or anything at all political. Train employees in the company’s preferred tone for use in written correspondence.

Always proofread. No email should be sent without being read over first. Typos are embarrassing, unprofessional and, in especially egregious cases, can obscure meaning. Proofreading ensures each email possesses the clarity and professionalism that shows the company in the right light. If a customer service representative doesn’t take the time for such a basic task, it sends a message to customers that they and their concerns are unimportant to the company.

As people are busy and time is one of the most valuable commodities there is, make the point you need to in the fewest words possible. Needlessly lengthy emails are likely to be only partially read or skimmed, causing important information to be overlooked. If the issue being addressed is especially complicated, determine whether a phone call would be a better approach rather than a long email.  Then follow-up after the call with an email summary of the phone conversation (in case of complex instructions, etc).

While a reply doesn’t need to be immediate, the goal for every customer service email should be to respond within a business day. This shows that the customer service representative is attentive, and helps prevent letting an issue drop off the radar. For problems that take longer to resolve, requesting customers to create a ticket in Mojo Helpdesk is an easy way to ensure that the issue will stay visible to the assigned representative until it’s solved.

To make providing customer service with email easier on representatives, create template responses to the most common customer issues. Chances are, the company encounters certain questions or problems with more frequency than others. By working out the best response to each of these frequently asked questions, and offering them to representatives in an easy to access space, such as the Helpdesk, the company can be sure that representatives provide the preferred proof-read responses and cut down on the time required to respond to many customer service issues.

As with any customer service tool, email can be used effectively or detrimentally. By implementing the proper process to ensure tone and avoid typos, and with encouragement to have your customer service team take the time to mindfully and carefully review correspondences before sending, basic email blunders can be easily avoided.

Would you like to try our free, hosted ticket tracking/helpdesk application? No long-term contracts, signup fees, or termination fees. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime. We offer a wide variety of plans to fit any budget.

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Emphasize Customer Satisfaction Over Average Handle Time

Efficiency is a common buzz word in business, regarded by many as the most important metric for improving business practices. Unfortunately, what efficiency means and how to best measure the efficiency of your staff aren’t always easy to calculate. In customer service, it’s tempting to measure efficiency through factors that are easiest to quantify, such average handle time, but this approach misses the primary goal of customer service. Achieving customer satisfaction should be the number one focus of every customer service interaction. A faster handle time might look good on paper, but could come at the cost of customer experience.

In a business climate that emphasizes efficiency, a customer service department may be put in the difficult position of determining the best way to balance effective, considerate customer service with the expectations of reduced call times. There are methods to provide convincing data that the department is working towards greater efficiency, without sacrificing the more important goal of customer satisfaction.

If a call can be handled quickly and effectively it should be. Everyone’s time is valuable and the customer most likely is hoping for a fast resolution as well. That said, some issues necessarily take longer to resolve than others. For the sake of reporting, distinguish between simpler, standard customer tickets and the more complex customer inquiries that require more than a quick answer. This will give a more accurate sense of how long different types of issues take to resolve.

If performing an analysis of the customer support team that takes average handle time into consideration, make sure that customer ratings, feedback and the types of customer issues being handled are viewed alongside the handle times. The amount of time to solve a customer's problem is only one small piece of the larger picture and should never be treated as the most important factor in a customer service job.

If there’s still pressure to cut down on handle times after taking these other factors into account, work with the staff to develop methods for doing so that won’t impede the customer service process. Initiate a discussion in the next group meeting about some of the causes of longer call times. Evaluate as a group, which causes are valuable to the customer service experience and which could be handled better. Work together to create a document with the best responses to the most common issues to provide a reference for representatives to consult when needed.

Use the data from Mojo Helpdesk to identify those in the department that are best at resolving customer tickets quickly, while consistently receiving high ratings from customers. Encourage them to work with other team members to offer ideas for improving average handle time. If there’s a team member or two with especially long issue resolution times, have them shadow the top performing team members for a day to develop some ideas for resolving customer issues more quickly.

A blanket discouragement against longer handle times could result in worse customer service, so instead encourage team members to rethink ways to resolve customer issues that emphasize efficiency, while never losing sight of customer satisfaction as the top priority. If there’s pushback from outside the department, point out that good customer service can lead to positive reviews online and repeat business that far outweigh the time saved by pushing for shorter resolution times.

Would you like to try our free, hosted ticket tracking/helpdesk application? No long-term contracts, signup fees, or termination fees. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime. We offer a wide variety of plans to fit any budget.

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Brand Your Helpdesk, Improve Customer Experience

Branding might seem a concept that falls more into the realm of marketing than customer service, but smart business people know that the two are highly interrelated. The main goals of a helpdesk are to bring greater efficiency to the customer support process and improve the quality of each customer service experience, but Mojo Helpdeskoffers the added benefit of customization options to help ensure that the exceptional customer service offered is consistently tied into the company’s brand in the minds of customers.

Any business that has invested in the proper resources and training to provide outstanding customer service should be eager to make sure that those positive customer service experiences are associated with the company at every step. By incorporating company branding into the helpdesk, customers are regularly reminded of the company while working with the customer service representative, and will therefore be more likely to recall their positive customer support experiences when it comes time to consider future purchases.

Helpdesk branding also provides regular customers extra confidence that their problem will be resolved, when the company's customer support carries the same branded seal of approval as the products they already know and love. As more and more larger businesses outsource their customer service to companies with little actual connection to the business and products they represent, providing an explicit visual connection between the customer service experience and the company can make a huge difference in ensuring that the customer has a positive experience.

There are several simple options available to more clearly tie a company’s brand to the customer experience in Mojo Helpdesk: 

• All Mojo Helpdesk customers receive a branded URL to direct users to the helpdesk (http://yourbrand.mojohelpdesk.com)
• Include one or more links back to your website in the main customer portal. Providing a link to an FAQ’s page could help customers find the answers they need before submitting a ticket. As an added benefit, this will increase your website’s SEO
•  Add the company logo on the customer portal mainpage
• Customize the copy included in the portal mainpage and the e-mails sent from within the helpdesk to add your company’s unique voice and writing style that your customers are already familiar with 

In addition to these simple branding options, the customer portal mainpage is also fully customizable with HTML.  Any company with an html savvy designer can get creative in finding new ways to incorporate branding and other relevant information into this space.  Use it to keep customers up to date on company and product news, current promotions, marketing materials like videos or whitepapers, and anything else a current customer might find valuable. 

Business owners and managers should always be on the lookout for ways to make the most out of the resources at a company’s disposal. Mojo Helpdesk makes it easy to use a tool designed for improving customer service to also further the company’s brand.

Would you like to try our free, hosted ticket tracking/helpdesk application? No long-term contracts, signup fees, or termination fees. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime. We offer a wide variety of plans to fit any budget.

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The #1 Customer Service Tool: Your Support Team

Regardless of the many tools on the market that are advertised as essential to the customer service process, anyone in customer service knows the #1 customer service tool any business can employ is a competent, happy, customer support team. It’s certainly valuable to provide the best possible resources to enable customer support staff to do their best, but additional resources are largely wasted if the people using them are not knowledgeable, capable and happy with their jobs. We previously covered how to put together a first-rate customer service team, and once that crucial first step is completed, it’s important to remember how valuable a strong customer service team is- and make sure the company treats them accordingly.

The members of the customer support team are the company’s primary contacts for customers. Their behavior towards customers and ability to deal effectively with all issues that arise has a direct influence on the company’s reputation. In addition, as the first and primary point of contact for the people using the company’s products, the customer support team is the most knowledgeable on what people think of them. If there’s an issue with a product or a common suggestion for how to improve it, the customer support representatives will be the first to hear it. The feedback heard and recorded by the customer support staff is a necessary component for informed product development. Countless resources can be wasted trying to fix perceived problems that aren’t bothering customers or make improvements they don’t actually want if product development doesn’t make use of customer feedback.

So how can a company make sure to get the most out of its most valuable customer service resource?

1. Practice Active Listening – Schedule a regular meeting (i.e. 10 minutes every morning, or 1 hour every week) where all members of the support team are encouraged to share any issues experienced, relevant customer feedback and other important topics that the customer support team feels urgency to report. When supervisors are present and actively listening, a clearer view of the company and its customers are provided, while support staff will be empowered by having their voices heard.
2. Incorporate Feedback – Listening is good, but it must be more than a symbolic gesture. Let the support team not only discuss customer support related issues, but also allow them to provide suggestions for solutions, while focusing on the benefits and downsides of implementing each possible solution. If there’s a general consensus that something new is worth a try, do it. 
3. Encourage New Learning – Any time new products are developed or changes are made to existing products, the customer support team should have training and any other available resources to stay experts on the products they represent. Encourage team members to attend webinars or conferences to learn more about the industry or improved techniques for customer support. Offering incentives (getting lunch catered for a company scheduled webinar, or planning a happy hour after a conference for all employees who attended) can help boost employee enthusiasm, and make a support team want to get more involved.
4. Think Like a Team – A good manager or business owner doesn’t make decisions independently. When there’s an intelligent, experienced team of people with unique ideas eager to help, it’s foolish not to incorporate them into the process. Make sure their suggestions are genuinely considered, and respected no matter how different, creative, or unexpected they may be. Thinking outside of the box can be a valuable asset to resolving many issues.
5. Keep Everyone Happy – If the staff members working with customers are unhappy in their jobs, it will inevitably show in the way the company is presented and issues are handled. Few people can effectively convince others of the value of something they don’t care for themselves. A company should consider it a top priority to create an environment in which representatives love their jobs. Embrace your company's culture and encourage your employees to have a good time while they meet their goals. 

Even the greatest, most versatile resources available are worthless if not used properly. A great customer support team that’s not properly appreciated and valued will not be very motivated to accomplish all they are capable of. In addition to the immeasurable wasted potential, a company risks losing its best customer service representatives when those representatives feel under-appreciated. Don’t let the #1 customer service tool available to the company go to waste.

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Clarifying Customer Concerns

A customer service representative must hone a great number of skills to become outstanding at customer support; the ability to communicate well with customers is easily one of the most crucial. Effective communication is especially challenging when working with a customer who has a hard time expressing the problem and what is needed to resolve it. When this occurs, it becomes the representative’s job to help clarify the customer’s concerns.

Customers who know they need help, but just can’t articulate their needs begin their customer support experience frustrated. To overcome this frustration and the confusion that fuels it, a customer support representative must be calm and reassuring at every opportunity. Start by encouraging the customer to explain everything about the issue at hand. Allowing them to talk it out clarifies the issue while giving the customer the chance to vent their frustrations. Once the customer is finished, repeat back all relevant details to demonstrate that the issue has been heard and understood.

If this initial explanation doesn’t provide enough information to identify the problem, ask questions to narrow down the likely causes of the customer’s concerns. As a better understanding of the issue develops and the best course of action is determined, let the customer know exactly what steps will be taken next and their expected outcome. Make sure to address every question a customer has. Any questions ignored will add to a customer’s confusion and could lead to a misunderstanding of the issue. An assumption made with too little information can lead to an attempt to solve the wrong problem, resulting in more confusion and frustration for the customer.

In cases where a representative still has difficulty determining the issue after following these steps, it’s time to defer to a manager. Keep the customer in the loop when bringing in someone else to help. In addition to offering the assurance that someone’s working on the problem, the knowledge that a manager is personally looking into the case demonstrates that the company cares about finding a satisfactory solution.

Every customer service representative should strive to know the products he or she represents well and be familiar with the likely issues customers may experience. When a customer is confused, it is especially important to demonstrate that the company’s representative is not. Once customers know they’re in  knowledgeable, competent hands, it should give them the confidence to worry less about the problem and instead focus on the solution.

At every step, keep the customer informed of what’s being done to solve the issue, how long it’s likely to take, and the expected result. The best tool to alleviate a customer’s confusion is knowledge. With the proper attention, tone and a careful analysis of the information provided by a customer, most customer concerns should be easy to clarify and resolve.

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Tip of the Week: Sending Text Notifications of New or Newly Assigned Tickets

Did you know that it is possible to send someone a text message from an email? Basically, every cell phone number can be sent an email that will be converted to a text if you know the correct email address to send it to. If this is news to you, check out this list of email addresses that can be used to send text messages to phones. Just replace "number" with the 10 digit phone number you want to text.

Using this information, it is possible to create an automation that will send a text message when a new ticket is created or when a ticket is assigned to someone. Go to the Automations link from the manage menu at the top of the page and click the new button to create a new automation. Give your automation a title and description, then set the filters. If you want a text every time a new ticket is created, click the button next to selected statuses and choose new for the status. If you would rather, you can apply this to newly assigned tickets by choosing assigned from the selected statuses menu.

Go to the actions section and click the box next to Send an email. Enter the email address for the cell number you want to receive the text in the To blank of the email form. Enter a subject and text for the body of the email, but make sure you keep it as short as possible since most text messages are limited to no more than 160 characters.  Click create and activate and you are ready to start receiving text notifications of new or newly assigned tickets.

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Why Social Media Can’t Replace a Help Desk

With the endless proclamations of how crucial social media is to business, a discussion of its difficulties and limitations often gets lost in the hype. Use of socialmedia in customer service certainly has value and shouldn’t be neglected, but there’s a clear limit to what can be accomplished with it. Communication through social media is no substitute for the features and functionality available through a good help desk. To get the most out of both a social media presence and a help desk, it’s important to have a sense of the best uses for each and how to most effectively integrate them.

The way different people use their social media accounts varies considerably. Some spend large amounts of time each day checking in on Twitter and Facebook feeds to contribute their thoughts and ideas, while others let days or more pass in between visits. If the primary form of communication a business has with a customer is through social media, there’s the risk of long lags between each reply. This can extend the time it takes to resolve an issue that could have been handled quickly through a help desk. While it is possible to miss important feedback and questions through social media due to timing, all issues can be tracked with a Help desk to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.

Even for users who are likely to check their social media accounts frequently, using social media for extended communication has the clear downside of restrictive character limits. Most problems a customer’s likely to experience will require more explanation than can be expressed on Twitter in 140 characters or less. Understanding the particulars of a customer problem and its desired solution requires a back and forth likely to be slow and drawn out over social media, to the frustration of all involved. In contrast, a Help Desk makes it easy for customers and customer service representatives to provide as much information as needed at each step in the process and enables faster response times.

While the public nature of social media can certainly be a benefit, sometimes providing customer service requires the exchange of sensitive information. In most cases, a customer will be less likely to offer up personal details over social media and a customer service representative should never ask for anything sensitive over a public forum. Further, often the nitty gritty details of a customer service complaint aren’t something a company wants broadcast to a wide audience. It’s good to be able to publicly show a quick response to any complaints a customer makes, but there’s a point where the discussion about a customer issue on social media becomes more of a liability than an opportunity to publicly demonstrate great customer service.

A company should make a point to be aware of and quickly respond to any complaints that appear on social media, but a presence on social media doesn’t mean a full customer service correspondence should play out within that space. When a customer with a complaint is identified, respond quickly and with a suggestion to move the correspondence off the social media channel, including an e- mail address, phone number or link to fill out a ticket request on your help desk. A quick response shows you’re attentive and proactive about solving the problem, without restricting both parties to an awkward, drawn out conversation over a medium not designed to host one. View social media as just one aspect of customer service, it can be the first step in a longer conversation that occurs primarily through tools better designed for that purpose.

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Tip of the Week: How to Multi-Select from the Automation Drop-Down Filters

This week's tip is a simple one, but can save time and frustration if you are unsure how to do this. Often, when creating an automation, there is a need to include more than one company, priority, status, or queue in the filters. There are a couple of ways to do this, depending on what type of computer you are on. No matter what type of computer you are using, if you want to select several files grouped together, click the first item you want included, and then hold down the shift key and click the the last item in the group. This will select all items in between.

If, however, you want to select random items in a list that are not grouped together and you are using a Windows machine, you will need to select the first item, hold down the ctrl key. While holding down the control key, select the other items you wish to include. On an Apple computer, you will need to hold down the command key while selecting non-consecutive items in the list.

It is also possible to use both of the techniques to select grouped and non-grouped items in the same list, which can make creating automations much easier.

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Top 10 Go To Words for Customer Service

As previously discussed, striking the right tone during customer service correspondence is a crucial component of ensuring a positive customer experience. Customer service professionals learn certain words over time that, when used regularly, create the right tone to present the company in the best light.

When speaking with a customer, language should always be chosen carefully with an aim to convey positivity, empathy, concern and an eagerness to solve the issue at hand to make the customer feel satisfied and keep them happy. We’ve identified the top 10 words and phrases a customer service representative should use often in communication with customers.

Yes - This is the most important word on the list, as customer affirmation is a regular must in customer service. Alternative options include: "absolutely", "definitely", "certainly" and "of course."  As much as possible, try to say these as though they’re followed by an exclamation point. Be careful, though, not to make false promises.

Thank You - Customers are the heartbeat of the company, and ultimately provide the company the ability to maintain a workforce.. Express gratitude to them for choosing the company, providing feedback, showing patience when they experience an issue and at any other opportunity that presents itself.

Sorry - Honest humility is almost always appreciated when genuinely expressed. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge and offer regret when a problem occurs, but be sure to follow every apology with an explanation of what will be done to correct the issue.

Pleasure - Part of the job as a customer service representative is regularly expressing positivity. Be quick to let customers know that helping them is a pleasure.

Please - One of the first words parents teach their children to keep communication polite, “please” should be employed regularly with customers to set tone properly for all requests you may have for the customers. (i.e. "please follow these instructions," "please contact," "please explain in detail," etc.)

Solution - Regularly talking about a problem’s solution deflects attention from the problem itself and focuses instead on the successful resolution you’re working towards.

Happy - Along the lines of #4, expressing positivity goes a long way towards setting a pleasant tone with customers. (i.e. "I'm happy to help.")

Right Now - As in, “I’ll get to that right now.” Showing urgency in reaching a resolution assures customers that they are a priority.

Appreciate - Find a way to express customer appreciation in every interaction. When they place an order, you appreciate their business. When they complain, you appreciate their feedback. Etc.

May I - Asking permission is a subtle way to let the customer know that he or she is in charge and confirms that all actions to be performed are being executed for the customer's benefit.

Setting the right tone is beneficial in most aspects of life, but in customer service it’s a daily necessity. When working with a customer expressing negativity, the ability to employ just the right words to steer the conversation in a positive direction plays a huge role in making sure the customer service interaction is resolved in a way that leaves everyone happy.

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Tip of the Week - Creating SLAs to Track Customer Satisfaction

Service Level Agreements help organizations measure response time and customer satisfaction. Defining SLA targets is a simple feature to set up in Mojo Helpdesk and can help you set goals and track your support team’s success.

To set up SLA’s in Mojo Helpdesk click the SLA link from the Manage drop down menu. Click the new button and then fill out the information for your SLA target. Each SLA can measure either response time or customer satisfaction. Determine the goal for your SLA and the compliance conditions for the SLA. The goal will be the percentage of tickets that meet the Compliance Conditions you determine.

You can then filter the tickets by type, specific companies, selected technicians and queues, before saving the SLA target. This can be useful if a company requires you to reach a certain SLA level when providing support and you want to create an SLA specifically for them.

Now that you’ve created your SLA, you’ll want to run periodic reports to track your team. Click the run reports button on the SLA targets page, select the time period and type of report to run and Mojo Helpdesk will generate a chart along with the current stats for your SLA. These are great for setting up incentives for your support team to increase their stats.

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5 Key Lessons for Customer Service Training

Once a company finds the perfect fit to join the customer service team, the first few days and weeks on the job are a crucial period for equipping the new hire with the knowledge needed to be an exceptional customer service representative. The best method for customer service training is to let trainees spend their first couple of days watching an experienced member of the team. Through shadowing an expert, the new hire will learn the systems, policies, how to utilize essential tools like the helpdesk that are in regular use, and be able to ask questions.

During the initial training period, there are a five key lessons that should be covered before your new hire begins to work directly with your customers:

1. How to Handle an Angry Customer
It’s inevitable that a customer service representative will encounter angry customers in the course of performing the job. Keep these suggestions in mind and consider doing some role-playing to give the new hire a chance to practice giving measured, calm responses on the fly.

2. Avoid Saying “I don’t know”
While no one expects a customer service representative to know everything, there are better ways to express uncertainty than “I don’t know.” Teach the trainee some alternate phrases to use, such as:

• “Let me look into that for you.”
• “I’m not entirely certain, I’ll find out more and get back to you.”
• “I’d like to do some research to give you the most informative response.”

This way, one avoids providing inaccurate information, while also showing a willingness to give the best response possible.

3. The Importance of Listening
To help solve a problem, it’s necessary to first understand it. Errors are likely if this important first step is skipped. Emphasize how crucial it is to avoid making assumptions about a customer’s issue before hearing the full explanation. If there is not a clear picture, be sure your employee knows how to ask the right questions to get all information needed to properly move forward.

4. How to Apologize
Everyone makes mistakes and it stands to reason that there will be times when the company or a representative will be at fault. If there’s already a company strategy in place for responding to mistakes, every customer service representative should be made aware of it during training. If there’s no specific company-wide plan, touch upon best methods for issuing an apology to a customer with sincerity and a clear explanation of all actions being taken to correct the problem.

5. When to Refer an Issue to a Manager
An ambitious, eager-to-please new hire might be at risk of trying to take on too much without asking for help. Make sure to cover all department policies related to what actions need to be approved by a manager before implementation and which cases should be handed over to a superior entirely for best results.

Starting a new job is simultaneously exciting and overwhelming. Encourage new customer service representatives to ask many questions, and be patient with them if some information needs to be reviewed more than once. Offering a bonus to expert employees who help with training/shadowing can provide an incentive to stay positive and encouraging to the new hire. Be encouraging throughout the process to help ease the stress of training. The first few weeks of a job will set the tone of the relationship a new representative will have with the company moving forward, strive to make it a positive one.

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